Historic St Peter's church at Monkwearmouth is in line to be granted Unesco World Heritage Status, which supporters say would make Sunderland a tourist mecca.

The final nomination papers were to be submitted in February 2010, but the team has delayed the bid by another year to allow more time to prepare the bid.

St Peter's, and its sister site at St Paul's in Jarrow, was supposed to be nominated for World Heritage Status in 2009 – but was knocked back a year to make room for evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin's house instead.

Bede declared "Einstein of his time".

The Rt Rev Mark Bryant, Bishop of Jarrow and chairman of the Wearmouth-Jarrow Partnership, said: "In recent months, we have been overwhelmed with the support of people from the region and further afield.

"We now have time to further improve our submission documents, which will give Wearmouth-Jarrow the best possible chance for a successful inscription.

"These documents reflect the commitment of the partnership in protecting and preserving the site and set out why it is internationally important.

"In a year's time we will also have completed more of the scheduled work, funded by One North East, which will make the site even more attractive to visitors."

The bishop said the decision to defer the bid for a second year has been backed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and it will now be the UK's nomination for 2011 instead.

"Every pledge and signature of support which the public have made still counts," he added.

The twin Anglo-Saxon monastery, which centres on St Peter's and St Paul's churches, was a major international centre of learning and culture in the seventh and eighth centuries.

Parts of the seventh century buildings still stand on both sites and it was home to the Venerable Bede, one of the most influential figures in contemporary culture.

To follow the progress of the bid and for further information go to www.wearmouth-jarrow.org.uk